Rotary engine.



L. G. SMITH. ROTARY ENGINE,

APPLICATION TILED MAY 20, 1911.

1 ,062, 193. Patented May 20, 1913 3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

5 n on ntoz L. G. SMITH.

ROTARY ENGINE.

APPLIOATIQN FILED MAY 20, 1911.

1,062, 1 93, Patented May 20, 1913.

3 SHBETSSHEET 2.

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L. G. SMITH.

ROTARY ENGINE. APPLId'ATIQN FILED MAY 20, 1911.

Patented May 20, 1913.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

awumvto a QM AHV J U} *ITED STATES-PATENT OFFICE.

answn'a. e sierrn, ornocnnsmnn, NEW Yuan.

ROTARY ENGINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

' Patented May 2o 1913.

Application flledliay20, 19 11. Serial a... 628,575. a

To all wkomitmay concernf Be it known that I, LESTER G. SMITH, a

citizen of the United States,fresiding at Rochester, in the county of, Monroe and. -State of New York, have inventedgcertain new and useful Improvements in Rotai-y'EE gines, of which the following is a specificat-ion. a

accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is"a vertical transverse section of my improved engine, the section being taken on the line 1"-1" in Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section through my 1mp roved engine,-taken on-the line .2"-2" in Fig. 3 is a perspective View of one dfhe piston blades of my improved engine.

- Fig. 4 1s a section on the line 4"-4 in Fig.

- mes -5* in Fig. 4..

3. Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section on the Fig. 6 is a section on the line 6"6" in Fig. 2. Fig. 7 is a section on the line 7"'7" of Fig. 1.

' In the accompanying drawings like reference characters refer to like parts.

Reference numeral 1 is the shell or outer casing of the rotary engine, which shell is shown somewhatoval in form. At the top -of this shell is provided the exhaust ports 2 and" 3 and theintake port 4. n the exhaust ports are placed the valves 4 and 5,,

which valves are operated bythe arms 6 and 7 connected by the rod 8, which rod mayin turn be operated by the controlling.

or reversing lever9, .which lever also operates the reversing intake valve 10 which valve is placed immediately under the intake port 4. Between the intake ort4 and the reversing valve 10 is placed t e-cut off valve 11 havin the ports 12 and 18 therein. This valve sli es upon the valve seat'14, which. valve seat has the ports 15 and 16 therein. These ports are spaced apart. more One object of this invention istoprovide than are the ports 12 and 13 in the valve,

for areason that will be explained resently. The valve 11 is connected to an operate d by the valve rod 17, which in turn is operated by the bell crank 18 pivoted on the engine frame 19. The free arm of the bell crank 18 is operated bythe eccentric rod20,

.- which in. turn is driven by the eccentric stra 21, which eccentric strap is operated by t e' eccentric 22 on the driving shaft 23 of the engine. The driving shaft 23 is mounted to rotate in the bearings 24 and 25, which bearings are provided with the stufiing boxes 26 and 27.

Mounted on the shaft 23 so as to rotate therewith is the drum 28, which drum carries the piston blades 29, 44 and 45, which blades are illustrated in perspective in Fig. 3. Each of these blades comprises a blade 30having thereon a iston stem 31. At the opposite end thereo is placed a piston 32. The drum 28 is slotted, having walls 33, 33 thereon which act as guides, between which the piston blade 30 can work in and out, the recess being deep enough to take in the piston blade completely, so that the outer edge thereof will lie -fiush with the periphery of the drum 28. The piston 32 travels in a cylinder 34 mounted within the drum 28 for that purpose. On one side of the piston is the compression spring 35, against which the iston 32' Works, compressing the spring as t e piston blade 30 is drawn into the recess between the walls 33, The piston 32 is driven to compress the spring and draw the piston blade 30 into the recess between the walls 33, by means of live steam admitted to the space 36 in the cylinder 34 through a vent 37 provided therefor 'in the hub 38 ofthe drum 28. This vent extends outwardinto a steam chest 39. This steam chest'is annular in shape and is shown in cross section in Fig. 6. It has the opening 40 therein in which live steam is admitted through the port 41,. and opposite thereto has the opening 42 therein through which live steam is admitted through the port 43. Each. of the openin 40 and 42 extends through an arc of a out 90 degrees. The steam intake opening 37 revolves with the shaft 23 and as it comes opposite the opening 40, live steam passes through said inte e openin in the cylin er 34, causing the piston 32 to advance and compress the s ring .35 and and into ,the steam space 36 vided therefor, it being the intention to the cylinder is passed the piston can then be advanced, keeping it in contact with the eccentric part of the cylinder wall.- -The piston is advanced by the spring'35f As" .soon as the piston reaches the central part of the eccentric portion of the cylinder wall,

the port 37 comes opposite the opening 42, permitting the exhaust to take place and permitting the piston to recede by reason of the expansion of the spring '85. -When the piston is running in the direction shown by the arrow in Fig. 6, live steam will be taken .main' driving cylinder. T e cylinder} etis from en erirg the cylinder 34 fr'o at the opening 40 and the exhaust will take place through the openings 42 and. 75.

When it is running in the reverse direction live steam will be taken through the opening- 42-and the exhaust will take place through the openings 40 and 75. Theexhaust port 76 is provided in the opening 75 .for this purpose.

In my improved engine three pistons in.

all are used, each being placed .120'degrees" from each other around the. periphery of the drum 28, the pistons 44 and .45 being mounted on the stems 46 and 47, each of them being provided with cylinders, pistons, springs and ports similar to those shown in connection with the piston blade 30, each of them operated insuccession .by

the live steam contained in the steam-chest 39, by which the withdrawal of the pistons is secured in turn as each of them approaches the top of the engine cylinder, as shown in Fig. 1, each of the pistons being advanced in turn as soon as the -top or 'zenith of the cylinder is passed. Steam is admitted to the steam .chest 39 by means of the steam pipes 41 and 4.3, which steam pipes are connected to the exhaustports 2 and 3 inside of the valves 5 and 4, as shown in Fig. 1, it being understood that one of these pipes will always be open to receive high pressure steam and the other will be open to receive the exhaust-steam, according .to the setting of the reversing valve 10'. The'piston stem 31 passes through a hole 49 in the shaft. 23, which is perforated for this purpose and is packed with a stuffing box 50 where it enters the cylinder} t, for the urpose of preventing liveste'g provided with an air verit 1 throughfw i'ch in that openings 63 extendingjthe f Ie the wal1 .62 .-.f"5'llie valve 11 takes the osition shown *infFig. 2 as. soon as thepiston 29 .indenhehin ith piston blade is provided with a packing of the paeking stri are forced outwardly from the, pistonbla e by means of the bow springsgiiiand '56, which bow springs tend to hold' the iston blades; out firmly against the end we s ofgthe cylinder.

steam .is -u's ed expansivelyin my 'im prdved ..eng1ne, as 'W1ll-.=11OW be explained. The slideva-lve ll is operated by the eccentrio and make srone corn lete reciprocation for each'revolution 10f :he drum 28. In

' Fig. '2, 'it is .shown"; in its farthest position to the-right a steam is being-admitted osition fonthepurpose of driving the bla e 2.9, as shown in Fig. 1. Steam passes -thro.ugh,the valve 10 and the ort opening 60 into'th'esteam's ace 61, w ich steam space islsepa'rated fro partgofthe cylinder byimea s of the wall 62 throughwhich ai'e provide lon slotted igth of hasmassedithe opening 63 and may remain open asf' long'asis desired, this'being controlled -"by the speed of the travel of the A valve iln dsthe size of the port openings 13 and the valve closes, the stealm that-1s inthegsteam space 61 gird in the cyln .in the opene, iston29a g he,-mta e valvelO, will expand driving the piston forward. The expansion. of the steam ceases when the following iston the steam that is carrledbetw n the blade will pass around with them until it reache the opening '64. intothe steam space 65, from which it will pass out through the exhaust port 3. As. soon as the piston blade blade 45 passes the'opening 63 after-'whicg 85. the working 45 passes the opening (i3'thecut off valve 11 moves y the opening 12 to ster with the o ening .15, which will permit theste'ani to" e? ad;-

mitted to drive the- 'p'iston blade-45 in the same way as has "alreadyjb e'en described in.

cut ofi' continues tqmoveto the left closing to the left far enough to permit-\ connection 'with. .the' 'piston blzi'de. 29. The

its

the portppening,and'jto,insure the admis- 16,.tlie port openings 1-2and 1'5 shiiu'ld be' 'opening 63, the "valve 11 has begun its movement to the .right ahd brought the port openings 12 and 15 again into'r'egister with each other, permitting the admission, 'of

.sion of the-same a'mount'of stea'm as' would be adm tted through the openings-.13 and steam to drive the blade 44. In {thiswayf steam 'se arately for each of the piston the cut off valve admits and cuts otf the rotating in one direction or in the other, and the steam is used 'expansively in driving the engine, as has been described. The bushing 66 and the packing strip 61 separate the live steam on one side thereof from the exhaust steam on the other side thereof. To run the engine in the opposite direction the reversing lever 9 will be thrown over from the position shown in Fig. 1, opening the intake port 68 and closing the intake port 60; Thiswill cause the drum and its pistons to rotate in the opposite direction from that indicate-d by the arrow in Fig. 1.

I have described my engine as operable by steam pressure only but it will be under-' stood that engines of this type can also be operated equally as well by compressed air or by any other form of compressed gas, and I believe the engine can be operated also by water pressure as well. I believe also that the engine may be driven by power for the purpose of operating in the reverse direction as an air compressor or as a pump, and all of these uses are within the range of my invention.

It will be seen that, two or more. of my improved engines may be used in series as a compound and that the exhaust may be discharged into a condenser and the same effect secured as though a condenser were used with a reciprocating engine.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and patentable is as follows:

1. The combination in a rotary engine of an engine cylinder, a drum mounted to rotate therein, piston blades mounted to move radially in said drum, stems on said piston blades extending through the axis of the drum, piston heads mounted on said stems, said piston heads working in cylinders caried in said drum, a steam chest for said engine, connections between said steam chest and said cylinders in the drum whereby said piston blades are moved positively in one direction by steam pressure radially in the drum during the operation of the revolution thereof and a spring for moving each of said pistons in the opposite direction.

2. The combination in a rotary engine of an engine cylinder, a drum mounted to rotate therein, piston blades mounted to move radially in said drum, stems on said piston blades extending through the axis of the drum, piston heads mounted on said stems, said piston heads working in cylinders carried in said drum, a steam chest for said engine, connections between said steam chest and said cylinders in the drum whereby said piston blades are moved positively by steam pressure radially in the drum during the operation or the revolution thereof, a compression spring mounted in each of said cylinders for positively moving said piston blade in the reverse direction, the steam pressure operating to draw the blade in radially during the exhaustof the engine, and the spring pressure operating to push the blade out and hold it out during the admission of steam. 3. The combination in a rotary engine of an engine frame and a cylinder therein, a drum and shaft' mounted to rotate therein, piston blades movin radially in said drum, a steam cylinder an piston mounted' in said drum for operating each of said blades in one direction, a hub for said drum, steam ports passing through said hub parallel to the shaft and communicating With said cylinders at me end, a steam chest mounted at one end of the engine andsurrounding said shaft, with which saidports communicate successively on the rotation of said drum.

4. The combination in a rotary engine of a drum and a shaft therefor, piston blades cylinders and stems connecting said piston heads with. said blades, saidstems passing through perforations in said shaft, causing said piston heads and said piston blades to reciprocate together, means for admitting steam to said piston head for moving the piston blade toward the axis of the dru when the exhaust begins.

5. The combination in a rotary engine of a drum and a shaft therefor, piston blades mounted to move radially in said drum on one side of said shaft, cylinders mounted in said drum on the opposite side of said shaft, piston heads mounted to reciprocate in said cylinders and stems connecting said piston heads with said blades, said stems passing through perforations in said shaft, causing said piston heads and said piston blades to reciprocate together, steam connections passing along said shaft and communicating with the inner end of said cylinders, admitting steam during a predetermined part of the revolution for causing each of said piston heads to move in one direction and compression springs for causing each of said piston heads to move in the opposite direction.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

LESTER G. SMITH. Witnesses LENA M. Asn, ALICE M, JOHANNS.

cm at this patent may. be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Gommilsioner o! htontl, Washington, D. 0. 

